The Inside the NBA crew was present in Las Vegas as the NBA Cup shifted to Nevada for its semi-finals and Final. Being in ‘Sin City’, Charles Barkley found his way to the blackjack table and revealed some of his wagering details to Dan Patrick.
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Barkley started his interview with Patrick by acknowledging that his recent business trip was successful. Although he didn’t win a significant amount, Sir Charles considers any visit to Las Vegas where he doesn’t lose money to be a “good trip.”
“I won a little bit, I had a great trip. I didn’t lose money, but I won a little bit so it was good,” the Suns legend said.
The NBA Hall-of-Famer revealed that he wagered $25,000 per hand of blackjack. Patrick then suggested that Barkley might consider playing at a more modest $100 per hand. Barkley, however, appeared unimpressed by the idea and claimed that such a low stake would leave him feeling “unhappy.”
“Hell no. I could not be happy. I’d be unhappy,” Barkley exclaimed.
With an estimated net worth of $80 million, it’s unlikely that $100 winnings per hand would bring Barkley any satisfaction. Moreover, as an experienced gambler, he might find little to no thrill in playing at such low stakes (per his standards).
Barkley has lost $1 million in a single day multiple times
Charles Barkley has been involved in gambling since a young age. During an interview with Graham Bensinger, he shared his reasoning for a simple question – why does he gamble? While many have speculated that he enjoys the thrill of the “action,” Barkley revealed the real motivation – he enjoys the money that he wins.
“I hear all these people talking about ‘you just like the action’. No, I like the money actually and it always sucks when you lose but it’s a great feeling when you win,” Barkley said.
He delved deeper into the topic, sharing statistics and claiming to have won a million dollars in a single day multiple times. However, he admitted that he has lost the same amount in a single day more often.
“I’ve won a million dollars probably four or five times… But I’ve lost a lot more millions in a single day,” Barkley revealed.
Fortunately, Barkley has never become so addicted to gambling that he’s lost his entire fortune. In fact, he has often shared stories about learning from his mistakes and using them to grow both personally and financially.
